Looks like finally we could be seeing high speed tolls. I realize that the tolls stink and they should go away. But that is not happening.

Mass has been behind the curve on this and I think if they actually do put them in, it will make the tolls less congested. Nothing is more annoying than being stuck behind someone who goes literally 2 mph through the Fast Lane because they want to make sure it gets them.

User fees for driving on expressways are something the country needs more of. The state and Federal governments have subsidized the highways for too long. If they are not going to pay for the maintenance (and if they aren't going to raise the gas tax which they should) then I say add toll lanes to all the major highways. Lord knows the state needs the money. People would complain but you know they wouldn't stop driving. And the small number that would would then take transit. Seriously, it's time to end the free ride people.

User fees for driving on expressways are something the country needs more of. The state and Federal governments have subsidized the highways for too long. If they are not going to pay for the maintenance (and if they aren't going to raise the gas tax which they should) then I say add toll lanes to all the major highways. Lord knows the state needs the money. People would complain but you know they wouldn't stop driving. And the small number that would would then take transit. Seriously, it's time to end the free ride people.

I agree that people will continue to drive, even though they hate the tolls. But aren't we paying into it already? The government uses our tax money to maintain the roads we drive on.

I just think these will be great from a traffic congestion standpoint.

I agree that people will continue to drive, even though they hate the tolls. But aren't we paying into it already? The government uses our tax money to maintain the roads we drive on.

True but it isn't enough. The roads we have were built 50 years ago and are all falling apart. The tax money built them but there was not enough to maintain them. Americans are for too long used to getting whatever they want without having to pay for it.

Brilliant. I agree, the nation could use more toll roads. Every other state that does have them has a far more advanced system than Mass., so we're already playing catch up. One thing I would prefer is a unified system so that toll tags work on every highway regardless of state.

In the end, people who keep driving will boost the state coffers, and those who are smart enough to take transit will do the same, hopefully contributing to funding upgrades to the T.

High speed tolls? I support the idea if it leads to more roads being charged for, but consider that it also facilitates the ease of driving v. transit. We WANT drivers to get fed up in toll related traffic jams so they take transit. I'm not sure a virtual charge to their credit card that they won't see for another month is going to do it.

Traffic mitigation may be less than expected with high speed tolls at least at rush hour. On ocassion, I commute on the Mass Pike at rush hour. Most days I take transit. At least on my commute (I exit at Rte. 128), the vast majority of traffic consists of workday commuters who have fastlane and the tolls don't back up unless the whole road is too congested (which happens frequently). It's a different story on weekends and holidays when the Pike is full of drivers without Fastlane, then the tolls are the source of the congestion.

Traffic mitigation may be less than expected with high speed tolls at least at rush hour. On ocassion, I commute on the Mass Pike at rush hour. Most days I take transit. At least on my commute (I exit at Rte. 128), the vast majority of traffic consists of workday commuters who have fastlane and the tolls don't back up unless the whole road is too congested (which happens frequently). It's a different story on weekends and holidays when the Pike is full of drivers without Fastlane, then the tolls are the source of the congestion.

Now that they are free, I don't understand why more people don't get them. People love to bitch and moan about toll booth workers, get a pass and you can help speed up their uselessness.

Rep. Joseph Wagner (D-Chicopee), co-chairman of the Transportation Committee says: ?The road is designed with tollbooths to slow traffic, and if you just knocked down tollbooths you would create a bottleneck the likes of which we have never seen.?

Tollbooths are not a bottleneck. No tollbooths ARE a bottleneck.

A-ha.

I guess we now see why toll-takers can justify their salary, benefits and pension: they speed traffic along!

(OT: My hope is that once politicians get used to open road tolling, they'll see it is a lot like proof-of-payment on transit: it speeds the vast majority of honest people, saves time, money, and machine-maintenance, and has sufficient controls to catch traditional "evaders")

__________________"Trying to solve congestion by making roadways wider is like trying to solve obesity by buying bigger pants."--Charles Marohn

Honestly, I'm getting tired of the Globe misrepresenting transportation projects. AET is installed over mainline lanes. No individual exit is being tolled, so tolls cannot "come back" to Exit 16. Drivers there have always been charged at Allston EB and Weston WB - the AET gantry between exits 16 and 17 will only add a toll to travel specifically between those points.

AET tolls apply to all drivers on a segment, not only those entering or exiting at a specific point.

If the playing field needs leveling, it seems to me we'd be better off imposing variable tolls on Storrow (or a whole "congestion charge" perimeter)

Good luck with that. Storrow is a "pleasure drive" don't ya know. The Department of Conservation and Recreation spends a lot of money maintaining Storrow Drive for the pleasure of Sunday drivers and for enjoyment of the Esplanade by passing motorists. You can't toll that!

Good luck with that. Storrow is a "pleasure drive" don't ya know. The Department of Conservation and Recreation spends a lot of money maintaining Storrow Drive for the pleasure of Sunday drivers and for enjoyment of the Esplanade by passing motorists. You can't toll that!

Sunday toll = $0. Solved. ;-)

__________________"Trying to solve congestion by making roadways wider is like trying to solve obesity by buying bigger pants."--Charles Marohn